Crimes that involve the deliberate taking of another human life are some of the most serious criminal charges under Canada's Criminal Code. While Canada does not have a death penalty, long prison terms, including consecutive terms, can result from murder convictions in Canada. However, not all murder charges are the same.

Canada's Criminal Code divides offences into three categories: indictable offences, summary conviction offences and hybrid offences which can be handled through either summary conviction or indictment. Typically, the more serious an offence is, the more likely it is to be categorized as an indictable offence.